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Thursday, July 16, 2015

I thought this video did a decent job of trying to explain depression to those who don't have it. Nothing can really explain it, but this is a nice effort.

The first time I heard the "black dog" metaphor was in relation to Winston Churchill. He used it to describe the despair he felt. According to one modern psychiatrist

Churchill was so paralysed by despair that he spent time in bed, had little energy, few interests, lost his appetite, couldn’t concentrate. He was minimally functional – and this didn’t just happen once or twice in the 1930s, but also in the 1920s and 1910s and earlier. These darker periods would last a few months, and then he’d come out of it and be his normal self.

Except for the dates and the 'greatness' part, that paragraph describes my black dog, too.

I don't write for sympathy. I don't want it. I write in the hope someone else might find some solace in not being alone. I write in hope that someone else might seek the help they need. I write in hope that those without depression might recognize the black dog of a friend and understand.

I have tried for decades, literally, to write the definitive essay on my personal experience with depression. That's not going to happen. Instead, I'm going to write short posts that are relevant to my experience.

Note: I realize that 99% of people don't care about my story. And that's the way it should be. To them, this is TMI (too much information). I expect them to move on and ignore these posts.

One rarely sees such astronomical election results outside of North Korea. The City Council of Commerce City must act in response to this embarrassment. The City Council must replace Troy Smith.

"We have experienced first-hand the overbearing, dictatorial management style of Chief Smith," Susan Kochevar, the owner of the 88 Drive-In Theatre said. "The man, on official city letterhead, threatened to shut us down if we did not adopt his business suggestions. It was absurd. It is no wonder the hardworking, sworn officers of Commerce City have no faith, trust, or confidence in him. We are disappointed to see the City Council and City Manager are not taking action. We are recruiting candidates for City Council who will refuse to let this great city's police force deteriorate further. If you are interested in running please send us a private message through the drive-in Facebook page."

Commerce City, CO -- The 88 Drive-In Theatre, an historic local business, expresses its concern over a recent report from the Colorado State Fraternal Order of Police damning the leadership of Commerce City Police Chief Troy Smith. The 88 Drive-In Theatre joins the FOP in calling for the ouster of Chief Smith.

Due to the FOP’s concern “that morale and labor-management relations within the department had reached the point where, if left unchecked, [they] would have a serious impact on public safety services within Commerce City,” the FOP sought an independent review of the CCDP and Smith’s leadership. The results of that review are frightening:

“In prior examinations of these types of issues we have never seen such a damning assessment by a workforce of mismanagement within a law enforcement agency to the degree revealed in this survey.” And if Chief Smith is not replaced, the review concluded that “public safety services will ultimately degrade to an unacceptable level.”

The 88 Drive-In Theatre concurs. “We brought some of these issues to the attention of the city council almost a year ago and the situation has escalated. We are very concerned for the safety of the rank and file officers in the Commerce City Police department,” said Susan Kochevar, owner of the 88 Drive-In Theatre.

During its four decades as a Commerce City landmark, the 88 Drive-In Theatre has enjoyed a positive relationship with the City and its police. This suddenly changed upon Smith’s arrival. In a well-documented and unprecedented move, Chief Smith, on official City letterhead, threatened to shut the doors of the theatre if it did not take his advice on how to handle its internal operations. “After posting the letter on my Facebook page, 20,000 of my customers signed a petition to stop this abuse. Their efforts were successful,” Kochevar said.

The 88 Drive-In Theatre hopes Commerce City will immediately addresses the concerns brought to light by the Fraternal Order of Police and returns to the friendly city with a happy police force it was just a few years ago. Toward that end, the 88 Drive-In encourages like-minded individuals to run for Commerce City Council.

Tuesday, May 12, 2015

As a huge propopent of orginal sources, here is a link to Second Circuit Court of Appeals decision that said the bulk collection of metadata by the NSA was not aurhorized by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).

DENVER— After being invited and charged a $250 fee, the Colorado Log Cabin Republicans group was disinvited from Western Conservative Summit. Today, John Andrews, the head of Colorado Christian University and Western Conservative Summit, sent the following in response to Colorado Log Cabin Republicans:

“You and your members are very welcome to get tickets and attend, but we can’t officially have the organization as a partner, exhibitor, or advertiser. [Log Cabin Republicans'] worldview and policy agenda are fundamentally at odds with what Colorado Christian University stands for, so it’s just not a fit. I’m sorry it has to be that way.”

“Log Cabin Republicans are known for the hilarious ads painting Jared Polis as a king and the radio ads that aired that featured the ‘Lifestyles of the Rich and Out of Touch’ in an effort to educate Coloradans about Polis’ extremism and hypocrisy. Many of the members of our Colorado chapter are well known conservatives, and one of our board members even ran for the state senate as a Republican.”

“At our last meeting we decided we wanted to participate for the first time, have a table, you know nothing huge, but we told we could not participate in any context except as a ticket-buying attendee. Our policy agenda is one that advances a free society, and a freer economy. I think they are missing out."

“Look, they are a private organization with every right to decide to include whom they wish." Hornaday clarified, "We aren't going to sue them over this. Nevertheless, a marketplace thrives on information, and this is information that might inform some others' patronage.”

“This dis-invitation to the WSC, is showcasing the exact problem with the right. We should be expanding the tent, not excluding people who have shared ideas and philosophies,” said Michael Carr, secretary of the group, and former candidate for the state senate. “This is the most important time for us to be reaching out to all types of groups and people, all types of Republicans, all types of conservatives. Young people especially want to see a robust political debate and this dis-invitation is the exact opposite of that. Being perceived as anti-gay turns young people off even more than it does the general public.”

Carr added:

"It is a pretty common issue we face, they'll take our money, but want us in the closet."

Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Ok, I admit my failure to be clear to others, and frankly, myself, regarding the most recent Jon Caldara v. Dudley Brown pissing match public discussion. Perhaps I can clear up my own mud and, in the process, clarify it for some others.

Senators Chris Holbert and John Cooke sponsored SB 175, which would have completely repealed the gun magazine 15 round limit that was passed a year ago. This is a great idea. The bill passed out of the Senate. It died in the Democratically controlled House in the kill committee on a party line vote, 6-5.

At some point, Democrat Rep. Joe Salazar said something about potentially backing a 30 round limit, but not a complete repeal. As a procedural matter, he had no way to do this (short of introducing his own bill.) For procedural reasons, he could not amend SB 175 from a complete repeal to a new limit of 30 from the old limit of 15.

I heard Jon Caldara discussing how Dudley Brown vehemently opposed the very notion of any mag limit at all, and would never support a 30 round limit. I agree with Jon that a 30 round limit is superior to a 15 round limit. But, at the moment, this is a philosophical idea, not a political one. The theoretical discussion is, however, a worthy debate. However, it is separate and apart from the practical debate at the General Assembly.

I think some of the problem is that people are arguing different things: Some, like me, are arguing the principal that a larger limit is better than a smaller limit. Others are pointing out that there was no larger limit being debated in the legislature and the political ramifications of the bill being defeated.

As always, it is important for people to be discussing the same thing.

Tuesday, March 31, 2015

This is a CPAP mask. It is mine. I used it for many years. A piece of it finally broke and I need a new one.

I went to a store at the mall that sells them. They had what I needed. I was ready to buy it.

But no!

The government would not allow this voluntary transaction to take place. Because the government must approve of this sale between a willing buyer, me, and a willing seller, the store.

This transaction can not occur unless the government gives its permission.

I was not trying to buy a narcotic drug. I was not trying to buy any drug whatsoever. I was trying to buy a new mask to replace an old one.

What possible government interest is served by preventing me from buying this piece of equipment? I have contacted my government licensed doctor's office so I can get the permission slip and the transaction can be properly logged and monitored by the government. This will take a few days.

In the interim, I am without the equipment.

So, to those statephiles who want even more government control of healthcare, perhaps you would like to rethink your desire.

Saturday, January 10, 2015

In Season 1, Episode 10, of "Boardwalk Empire," women have recently been given the right to vote.

In the first election since suffrage, Nucky Thompson, the corrupt elected treasurer who runs Atlantic City, is trying to convince his girlfriend, Margaret Schroeder, to say a few words before the League of Woman Voters about his preferred candidate for Atlantic City Mayor. This exchange occurs:

Margaret: "What am I meant to say?"

Nucky: "That it's time for a change. The cronyism, the incompetence, the violence in our streets. All that's a thing of the past."

It's been nigh on 100 years, and they are selling the same crap. But don't blame them.

Saturday, October 04, 2014

Denver Post columnist Benjamin Hochman has carefully considered the Denver Broncos' release of kicker Matt Prater and says that "after thinking this one through, I’m comfortable with the Broncos’ decision,"

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

But one two-sentence paragraph in a recent article in the Associated Press about the invasive Asian carp in domestic waters struck me.

You see, the Asian carp (somehow) made its way into American water. This by itself, perhaps, would not be an issue. However, the Asian carp are not tasty, and they are crowding out tasty domestic fish. The non-delicious and bony carp are eating food and taking up natural resources to the detriment of delicious and meaty domestic fish.

Some private companies are trying to help. The AP article is about one such company.

The AP says:

"For plant workers, purging the nation's waterways of carp that muscle out native fish for food and habitat isn't about balancing nature. It's strictly about making money."

OK, I see that as a derogatory judgment. Am I the only one?

It appears to my jaundiced eye that the AP would rather the plant workers "balanced nature" out of the goodness of their hearts, without having to dirty the process by "making money."

"Making money" in a voluntary transaction is a good thing. It means you are providing a service or product to someone. It means someone would rather give you money for something than keep that money. It means both parties to the transaction are better off after the transaction than before it.

"Making money" via mutually agreeable transactions should never be mocked or belittled. It should be praised and exalted.

Without the production of value, there are no jobs. There is no food. There is no shelter. People produce these things. Government does not.

Indeed, oftentimes people form corporations to produce things. Yet corporations are nothing. They are legal fiction. Corporations are nothing but the individuals that comprise them.

True, government is nothing but people that comprise it. The difference is that people are free to purchase things from the people in a corporation or not, yet people are forcibly coerced into giving money to the government.

To some, this government coercion is fine. To me, it is not.

I make no apology for being anti-government.

I am tired of being criticized for lacking compassion because I am against the government and against the forcible confiscation of people’s money. It is not the government’s job to provide compassion.

It is mine. It is yours.

By sloughing off the responsibility of “compassion” over to the government, some are relieved of the moral burden of being compassionate themselves.

If they vote in favor of government force to take other people’s money to help the needy, they are compassionate. They care. At least that is the fiction under which these misguided people operate. It is so much easier to believe in fiction than reality.

It is not compassionate to take someone else’s money for a cause, no matter how worthy. It is compassionate to voluntarily give money to a cause in which one believes.

Some say charity will never be sufficient to provide for all the worthy causes. That government taxation is necessary to provide for all of these worthy causes. I say these people’s definition of “worthy cause” is overly broad.

If people do not wish to give money to a cause, the cause is not worthy to that person. It is immoral to force that person to give anyway, because government deems it necessary.

It is so much easier to force others to donate than to ask nicely. If one has to ask, then the answer might be “no.”

The faux-compassionate, pro-government faction can not stand for that. They deem themselves too compassionate to give others that freedom.

I am anti-government. I am anti-tax. I am pro-freedom. I am pro-liberty.